Pillar coral
Pillar coral | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Hexacorallia |
Order: | Scleractinia |
Family: | Meandrinidae |
Genus: | Dendrogyra Ehrenberg, 1834 |
Species: | D. cylindrus
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Binomial name | |
Dendrogyra cylindrus Ehrenberg, 1834
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Synonyms[2] | |
List (Genus)
(Species)
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Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) is a hard coral (order
Description
Pillar coral forms an encrusted base from which grow vertical cylindrical, round-ended columns. This coral can grow to a height of 3 m (10 ft) with pillars more than 10 cm (4 in) wide but is usually much smaller than this. The corallites from which the polyps protrude are smaller than 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter and arranged in shallow meandering valleys with low ridges in between. The skeleton of the coral is not usually visible because the polyps are typically extended during the daytime, unlike most other coral species.[3] The mass of undulating tentacles gives the coral a furry appearance. This coral is usually some shade of beige or brown.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Pillar corals are found in the warmer parts of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Within its range, D. cylindrus is common in some places, but rare in other seemingly suitable locations. Some of the islands in the Bahamas have plentiful numbers of colonies as does the north coast of Jamaica. It used to be common on the reefs off the coast of Florida but has suffered from over-collection there. It seems to be absent from Bermuda and the coasts of Panama and Colombia. It usually grows on level or slightly sloping parts of the reef at depths between 1 and 20 metres (3 ft 3 in and 65 ft 7 in).[3]
Biology
Pillar coral is a
Pillar coral is a slow-growing, long-lived species. A number of columns grow up from a basal plate; if the whole colony is dislodged and topples over, new cylindrical pillars can grow vertically from the fallen coral. Some specimens have been found where this has happened more than once, and the history of the colony can be deduced from its shape. If a pillar gets detached and becomes lodged in a suitable position, it can continue to live, sending up new pillars from the base and other parts of the column.[3]
Each pillar coral clonal colony is either male or female, an evolutionary life history strategy described as
Status
The
The species is functionally extinct in Florida, USA,[8] and mostly survives in captivity.
Gallery
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A large colony atMarker 32 reefin the Florida Keys, June 2010
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A small colony atMarker 32 reefin the Florida Keys, June 2010
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A large colony
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A skeletal specimen from Fort Napoléon, Guadeloupe, December 2006
References
- ^ a b c Cavada-Blanco, F.; Croquer, A.; Vermeij, M.; Goergen, L.; Rodríguez-Martínez, R. (2022). "Dendrogyra cylindrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T133124A129721366. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "Dendrogyra cylindrus Ehrenberg, 1834". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ ISBN 0-86622-875-6.
- ^ "Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus)". Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ a b "Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus)". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Neely, K.L., Lewis, C., Chan, A.N. et al. Hermaphroditic spawning by the gonochoric pillar coral Dendrogyra cylindrus. Coral Reefs 37, 1087–1092 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-018-1730-x
- ^ "Florida Reef Tract Coral Disease Outbreak: Disease". NOAA. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ Neely, Karen L., et al. "Rapid population decline of the pillar coral Dendrogyra cylindrus along the Florida Reef Tract." Frontiers in Marine Science (2021): 434.